FT CEO John Ridding says news publishers "have leverage and should insist on payment" from AI companies and disintermediation is the industry's "biggest threat" (Charlotte Tobitt/Press Gazette)

Mediagazer: FT CEO John Ridding says news publishers “have leverage and should insist on payment” from AI companies and disintermediation is the industry's “biggest threat” (Charlotte Tobitt/Press Gazette)

Top News:

Financial Times:

Letter: Vivek Ramaswamy calls for BuzzFeed to axe staff, focus on video, and hire new voices, like Tucker Carlson, after raising his stake in BuzzFeed to 8.3%— Former US Republican presidential candidate urges media group to hire from ‘across the political spectrum’
Discussion:

Callum Jones /
The Guardian: Vivek Ramaswamy uses Buzzfeed stake to demand staff cuts, conservative hires

Kerry Flynn /
Axios: Vivek Ramaswamy calls for job cuts at BuzzFeed

Natalie Korach /
The Wrap: Vivek Ramaswamy Calls for New Buzzfeed Board Members, Heavy Cost-Cutting After Major Investment Vivek Ramaswamy: To the Board of Directors of BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed has lost its way. The company was a pioneer … @chrisgeidner: Having to choose sides here is both easy and depressing. Fuck Vivek. (But also, get that Pulitzer out of your mouth, Jonah. You gutted the newsroom after using hundreds of us to gain value/credibility/prestige for your company.)

Martin Peers /
The Information: Politician-Turned-Activist Ramaswamy Pursues BuzzFeed

Alex Weprin /
The Hollywood Reporter: Vivek Ramaswamy Calls for New Board Members and Cuts at BuzzFeed in Letter to Jonah Peretti

Matthew Zeitlin /
@mattzeitlin: Seems pretty clear Vivek is trying to do elon twitter to what remains of BuzzFeed

Tom Gara /
@tomgara: Vivek to BuzzFeed: “The silver lining is that your competitors' records are equally bad”

Matthew Gertz /
@mattgertz: Also don't sleep on wealthy right-wingers doing hostile takeovers of media outlets, perhaps with the feds pressuring companies to sell to them. https://x.com/...

Ben Mullin /
@benmullin: Here's Jonah Peretti's response to Vivek Ramaswamy: “Based on your letter, you have some fundamental misunderstandings about the drivers of our business...” And Vivek's letter: “BuzzFeed has lost its way.” [image]

Bradford Betz /
Fox Business: Vivek Ramaswamy pushes for BuzzFeed board seats, says company has lost its way

Brianna Chesser /
@briannachesser: He realizes that shifting (back) to video is more expensive than listicles, right? Go ruin your own thing.

James Aylett /
@james.tartarus.org: Focus on video, eh? I hadn't realised it was 2015 again. [embedded post]

Press Gazette:

FT CEO John Ridding says news publishers “have leverage and should insist on payment” from AI companies and disintermediation is the industry's “biggest threat”— Financial Times chief executive John Ridding has told other news publishers they “have leverage and should insist on payment” from AI companies.

Discussion:
Talking Biz News, @mitalilive, @olifranklin and @ftpressoffice

Discussion:

Mitali Mukherjee /
@mitalilive: ⁦@John_Ridding⁩ of ⁦@FinancialTimes⁩ - “The biggest risk to the industry today is disintermediation - separating readers from their publications.” #AI #journalism ⁦@NewspaperWorld⁩ #WNMC24 [image]

Oli Franklin-Wallis /
@olifranklin: Counterpoint: media companies should stop signing agreements with tech companies that are actively trying to replace them and put them out of business

Axios:

The Daily Wire says it finished 2023 with a profit and more than $200M in revenue, with more than $22M from commerce, most from its line of shaving products— - “We launched Jeremy's Razors for the same reason we launched a general and kids entertainment business and a news …

Discussion:
@sarafischer

Axios:

The Associated Press has inked new deals with five local nonprofit newsrooms to share and distribute content ahead of the 2024 election— - And it continues to add more statehouse reporters through an ongoing collaboration with Report for America. … - Those newsrooms were selected based …

Discussion:
@jeffjarvis

New Yorker:

How a struggling actor duped friends and investors in a $690M+ Hollywood Ponzi scheme, claiming to buy cheap movie rights and sell them to major streamers— A struggling actor struck it rich in Hollywood—then the F.B.I. showed up. — Anyone who visited Zach and Mallory Horwitz in 2019 …

Discussion:
@xenocryptsite, @franklinleonard, @ewong, @eosnos, @newyorker, @dancow and @eosnos

Discussion:
@xenocryptsite: Good article. Funny thing is, at the end, it mentions that this dude's story has already been on various shows and podcasts about scams. Does the demand for journalism about scammers outstrip the supply.

Franklin Leonard /
@franklinleonard: The story is wild. The details are hilariously staggering. https://www.newyorker.com/...

Edward Wong /
@ewong: The latest true-life yarn from @eosnos bringing us into the world of the American con artist. If you like Ripley, read this.

Evan Osnos /
@eosnos: New piece I've been working on for a long time — the very strange, very American tale of fake-it-will-you-make-it gone bananas. Why do we fall for con men over and over and over again? https://www.newyorker.com/... @newyorker: .@eosnos details how the aspiring actor Zach Horwitz moved to Hollywood to pursue stardom and began operating a massive Ponzi scheme, bilking investors—beginning with his closest friends—out of hundreds of millions of dollars. https://nyer.cm/1MolFaI

Dan Nguyen /
@dancow: Would watch a Netflix series about this guy who pretended to have millions of dollars in Netflix deals

The Guardian:

Push alerts from the BBC News app have become hugely influential in the UK; the app has an estimated 12M installs, with ~60% of its users getting notifications— With BBC news app alerts reaching as many as 7m Britons, parties are desperately trying to influence what gets pushed out

Discussion:

Esther Anatolitis /
@_esther: Yet another reason why commercial media in Australia consistently sets its sights on ⁦@abcnews⁩: https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Shashank Joshi /
@shashj: “Print newspaper front pages remain heavily analysed, but their reach has collapsed. Twenty years ago, the Sun still sold 3.5m copies a day. Now the biggest selling print newspaper is the Daily Mail, on 700,000 copies.” https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Charlesarthur /
The Overspill: Start Up No.2231: how early western PCs were made to work in China, traffic lights for self-driving cars?, AI headphones, and more

Mike Holden /
@mikeholden42: I'm sure we are a reassured that instead of the Sun pumping out partisan headlines, Laura K is doing it for the BBC instead.

Carl Baker /
@carlbaker: The push notifications people put up with amaze me. If an app starts giving the kind of nonsense you get from BBC Breaking, I uninstall it or disable notifications. But in my experience not everyone even knows that you can turn them off or customise... https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Sasha Scott /
Sasha Scott on LinkedIn: 'The most powerful person in British media during this election, in terms of having the most direct access to voters, is no longer the editor …

Jane Singer /
@janebsinger: The most powerful UK media person this election cycle? It's not the editor of News at 10 or a major newspaper. It's not a social media influencer. It's whichever journo is taking a turn behind the BBC News app, pushing alerts to millions of British phones. https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Gordon MacMillan /
Gordon MacMillan on LinkedIn: This is interesting. The most influential service during the general election isn't a social media app or influencer, newspaper, or TV news—it's the BBC's breaking news alerts. …

Stephen Bush /
@stephenkb: Excellent piece on the BBC news app by @jimwaterson: https://www.theguardian.com/ ...

Reuters:

Meta adds safety features to CrowdTangle for use during the EU elections, in a bid to address EU concerns over Meta's plan to shut down the tool in August 2024— Meta Platforms (META.O) has added safety features to its misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle for use during European Parliament elections …

Discussion:
@clothildegouj, @orestepollicino, @bravebosom, @mathver and @rajiinio, more at Techmeme »

Discussion:

Clothilde Goujard /
@clothildegouj: About a month after the European Commission opened a probe into Meta under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the company has opened up to external scrutiny ahead of the EU elections. https://www.politico.eu/...

Oreste Pollicino /
@orestepollicino: @MetaNewsEMEA The collaboration path is always the best one, as the code of practice shows

Mathias Vermeulen /
@mathver: Crowdtangle live displays have been switched on again at 18:00 CEST in 27 EU member states 1/2 [image]

Deb Raji /
@rajiinio: Nice to see the DSA in action—CrowdTangle (a platform transparency tool for Facebook) has been re-enabled through 2024 elections in EU member states. @mozilla & @brandonsilverm led a letter calling for this in March, after FB tried to shut the tool down:https://foundation.mozilla.org/ ...

New York Times:

A look at the growing importance of ads for video streaming services, as Antenna says that 56% of new subscribers chose the cheaper ad-supported tier in Q1 2024— Ads are here, there — almost everywhere — on streaming services now. — Not long ago, streaming TV came with a promise …

Discussion:

Catherine Perloff /
Adweek: Attribution and Granular Targeting Top Buyers' Wish List for Netflix's Adtech

Luke Bouma /
Cord Cutters News: Time Is Running Out for Many Smaller Streaming Services Who Are Running Out of Money

Arlan Smith /
Arlan Smith on LinkedIn: The future of TV is TV. I've been saying it for years. So much so that I'm sure my peers are sick of hearing it. — Why are ads suddenly going to be everywhere on streaming? …

Bonnie Barclay /
Bonnie Barclay on LinkedIn: Not only is advertising ubiquitous but it's invasive. In gaming it's used as punishment, and you may see the same forced ad 10 times in a row. … @antennadata: Ad-supported streaming is having a moment (and not just because of Upfronts). Antenna found that in Q4'23, 51% of Gross Adds were ad-supported; that share increased to 56% in Q1'24. But consumer openness to advertising varies significantly by service... https://www.antenna.live/...

Christian Grece /
Christian Grece on LinkedIn: From the NYT: — Netflix rose to streaming dominance in part by luring customers to an ad-free experience. Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and HBO Max followed that lead. …

John Long /
@janthonylong: “Remember when Netflix thought they were above all this?” he said. “They came in, they destroyed commercial television. And now, guess what they want to sell you. Commercials. On television.” https://www.nytimes.com/...

Kyle Walker /
Kyle Walker on LinkedIn: What's “old” is “new” again. Remember when streaming services claimed to be commercial free? Not any more. …

The Guardian:

Australia's Nine commissions an independent review after complaints against former TV news boss Darren Wick and acknowledges “cultural issues” in its newsrooms— Chief executive Mike Sneesby acknowledges ‘very tough time’ for staff and ‘distress and frustration’ reports on allegations had caused

Discussion:

Sam Buckingham-Jones /
Australian Financial Review: Stan executive left Nine's streaming business after workplace claims

James Madden /
The Australian: 3AW host Tom Elliott makes further harassment claims against Darren Wick

Nathan Jolly /
Mumbrella: Nine CEO acknowledges external review amidst ‘alleged inappropriate behaviour’ and million dollar pay-off

Sharri Markson /
@sharrimarkson: EXCLUSIVE: Two women have claimed that Nine's Director of Communications and Public Relations, Victoria Buchan, spoke to them about allegations of sexual harassment against Darren Wick five years ago but he remained in his job. Video footage also reveals Wick reaching for an

Elizabeth Knight /
Sydney Morning Herald: A tawdry tale of how Nine became its own headline

Sophie Elsworth /
@sophieelsworth: Tom Elliott has lashed his own employer over its handling of the sexual harassment scandal that has engulfed the media giant & revealed that he knows four female staffers from the company who claim they were mistreated by Darren Wick,@australian. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ ...

Bernard Keane /
Crikey: Who at Nine knew about Wick and when did they know it?

The Hollywood Reporter:

Comscore: Memorial Day weekend box office grossed an estimated $128.3M, a 29-year low, excluding 2020 and 2021, and down ~37% YoY; Furiosa led with just $32M— Overall revenue for the four-day holiday also hits a 29-year low as the early summer calendar suffers from an unprecedented absence …

Discussion:

Dominick Mastrangelo /
The Hill: Hollywood suffers rough holiday weekend at box office

Rebecca Rubin /
Variety: Box Office: ‘Furiosa’ Just Barely Beats ‘The Garfield Movie’ in Disastrous Memorial Day Weekend — the Worst in Decades

Brooks Barnes /
New York Times: ‘Furiosa’ Is a Box Office Dud, Adding to Hollywood Woes

Ryan Faughnder /
Los Angeles Times: What the Justice Department's Live Nation-Ticketmaster suit is really about (Hint: It's not Taylor Swift)

Jeremy Fuster /
The Wrap: ‘Furiosa’ Leads Worst Memorial Day Box Office Since the '90s With $32 Million Opening

Lindsey Bahr /
Associated Press: ‘Furiosa’ sneaks past ‘Garfield’ to claim No. 1 spot over Memorial Day holiday weekend

Drew Gillis /
The A.V. Club: Furiosa barely ekes out victory over Garfield at the weekend box office

Anthony D'Alessandro /
Deadline: ‘Furiosa’ Inches Out ‘Garfield’ With $32M But No. 1 Race Still Close In Dullest Memorial Day Weekend - Monday AM Update

Chris Bumbray /
JoBlo: Memorial Day Box Office: Furiosa beats Garfield by under $1 million for the 4-day weekend

Adam Bankhurst /
IGN: Furiosa Wins the Domestic Weekend Box Office But Has the Worst Memorial Day Opening in 30 Years

Patrick Goldstein /
@patrickbigpix: Really a stretch to blame Hollywood's Memorial Day weekend box-office fiasco on strike-related delays instead of total lack of audience interest in mediocre movies: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...

Hannah Gearan /
Screen Rant: Furiosa Box Office Narrowly Beats Garfield In Worst Memorial Day Weekend In Decades

Steve Siskind /
Steve Siskind on LinkedIn: Furiosa, the heroine and the movie, both faced long odds in the at times treacherous entertainment landscape of 2024 …

Vansh Mehra /
ComingSoon.net: Furiosa Box Office Ties With Garfield but Misfires on Memorial Day Weekend

Tim Lammers /
Forbes: ‘Garfield’ Battles ‘Furiosa’ At Memorial Day Weekend Box Office With $32M Debut

Tom Brueggemann /
IndieWire: ‘Furiosa’ and ‘Garfield’ Fight for #1, but There Are No Winners

Deadline:

Martine Croxall, one of the four female BBC journalists who brought a tribunal claim against the BBC, returns to screen after being off-air for more than a year— BBC news presenter Martine Croxall has returned to screen after being off-air for more than a year, while her legal battle with her employer still plays out.

Discussion:
Metro.co.uk, London Evening Standard, The i Paper, @trevjrho, @martinebbc, Daily Express, The Times and The Guardian

Discussion:

Charlotte McLaughlin /
London Evening Standard: Martine Croxall back on BBC News after discrimination claims

Kyriakos Petrakos /
The i Paper: Martine Croxall returns to BBC after year off-air following legal dispute

Trevor Rhodes /
@trevjrho: Great to see Martine Croxall @MartineBBC back on air at last. The background, of course, is serious allegations about a flawed and unfair process of implementing cuts to the News Channel. Does that resonate with BBC Local Radio Listeners and former and current staff, I wonder ?!

Martine Croxall /
@martinebbc: Ya'll ready for this? Back on #BBCNews at 1100 BST [video]

Laurence Sleator /
The Times: Martine Croxall returns to BBC News amid discrimination battle

New York Times:

Q&A with Netflix's Ted Sarandos on the state of Hollywood, shifting US tastes, programming strategy, ads, corporate activism, YouTube, live events, AI, and more— Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times — If you're anything like me, you probably spent some large portion of this week sitting on your couch watching Netflix.

Discussion:

Zack Sharf /
Variety: Netflix Boss Ted Sarandos Says AI Won't ‘Write a Better Screenplay Than a Great Writer’ or ‘Take Your Job,’ but Someone ‘Who Uses AI Well’ Just Might

Priya Mathew /
@pmathew814: Netflix programs for about 650M people around the world. Meet the man who pioneered the “binge watch.” @netflix CEO Ted Sarandos talks with @lourdesgnavarro this week for “The Interview” from @nytimes https://www.nytimes.com/...

Aymar Jean Christian /
Aymar Jean Christian on LinkedIn: It's been clear for some time that Netflix's original ambition to HBO was never going to hold up to its global ambitions and it's …

Todd Vaziri /
@tvaziri@mastodon.social: The first part is gibberish and the second part turns disqualifying. — Ted Sarandos interview in The New York Times — https://www.nytimes.com/... [image] @enigmamfilms: Just because I watch a film or show all the way through doesn't mean i “love” it. I rarely do but I watch a lot. If that is the measure of critical analysis of an audience, no wonder we're swimming in middle of the road crap. Why algorithms suck https://www.nytimes.com/...

Nick Field /
@nick_field90: Ted Sarandos' son can't afford a TV? https://www.nytimes.com/... [image]

Jordan Ruimy /
World of Reel: Netflix CEO Says Watching ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ on Your Phone is Just as Good

Sarah Fortinsky /
The Hill: Netflix CEO says AI won't replace writers or ‘take your job’

Kwan Wei Kevin Tan /
Business Insider: Netflix chief doesn't think AI programs are going to replace writers, actors, and directors

Armando Tinoco /
Deadline: Netflix's Ted Sarandos On A.I. Threat To Hollywood: “A.I. Is Not Going To Take Your Job, The Person Who Uses A.I. Well Might”

Harrison Richlin /
IndieWire: Ted Sarandos to Creatives: AI Won't ‘Take Your Job,’ but a ‘Person Who Uses AI Well Might’

Hilary Lewis /
The Hollywood Reporter: Ted Sarandos Indicates Netflix Won't Add “Breaking News,” Credits Algorithm for ‘Baby Reindeer’ Success

Stephanie Kaloi /